Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Happy Thanksgivukkah!!

Hi there, did you know this rare confluence of two big fat American(ish) holidays happened before:

The last time the two holidays overlapped was in 1918, when Jews lit one
menorah candle on Thanksgiving night, and it won’t happen again until
Nov. 27, 2070. So whether it is a Jewish twist on a Thanksgiving standby
or adding some fall flavors to your Hanukkah menu, now is the time to
create memories that can last the next 57 years.

I'm thankful for, among other things, this online legal community we've built and appreciate the opportunity to interact with all of you hopefully in an informative and sometimes even humorous way.

There are no cell phones allowed in the Dade County jail for inmates, unless the inmate is a cell phone. It was with these unique circumstances that a cell phone, an IPHONE 4S to be exact, was brought into the second floor courtroom of Judge Murphy under heavy security with a bevy of court house lawyers- prosecutors, pds and private attorneys looking on. In the back row sat the victim- noted coral gables PI lawyer Spencer Aronfeld, huddling with a group of victim witness counselors from the state attorneys office. The judge took the bench a few minutes before nine and at nine am exactly the doors swung open and in strode famed criminal defense attorney Roy Black. "Now I've seen it all" whispered one veteran prosecutor.

The defendant cast his camera eye towards the back of the courtroom. Arronfeld stiffened quickly as the IPHONE sneered and then quickly turned his attention to the proceedings. The prosecution filed attempted murder charges and Black immediately entered a plea of not guilty and moved to have his client released on bond. "He has no priors. And he has special needs" the famed criminal defense attorney began. "Oh, you mean he's one of those new IPHONES with the new charger" the Judge asked, a small smile crossing his face. "There's not only the charging issue judge, but the reception in the jail in awful and if you think about it, he already has a built in GPS, perfect for home monitoring and house arrest."

The Judge said he would keep the IPHONE into custody until Monday while he considered the defense's request. A trial date was set for the first Monday in February. As the IPHONE was being led out he began playing "I am an innocent man" from Billy Joel, which broke the tension in the courtroom. As most of the spectators laughed out loud as they walked out, a pale faced Arronfeld, clearly troubled by the prospect of his assailant being released left the courthouse without comment.